ALBANY — State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office has given the green light to an $88.5 million contract for new black-and-white drivers licenses reached last year between the Department of Motor Vehicles and a Canadian-owned company.

The news came in a letter from the comptroller to attorneys involved in the lawsuit brought by De La Rue, a British-owned company that is New York's current contractor. De La Rue claims the state rejected its $50 million bid in favor of a proposal from CBN Secure Technologies, which currently produces licenses in Virginia as well as Canadian money.

"We concurred with DMV's conclusion that CBN's proposed polycarbonate solution for drivers licenses is the best value solution proposed for New York state," said Kate Gurnett, a DiNapoli spokeswoman. "The contract award was based on established criteria, which was applied consistently to all bidders."

De La Rue plans to proceed with its suit, which was filed in state Supreme Court in Albany.